Busty Bombshells Of The Atomic Age

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All Rise...

Judge Gordon Sullivan time travels back to Reel Verdict.

The Charge

"Features the leading topless and pin-up stars of the day"

The Case

We like to think of history in terms of great people and huge revolutions.
So, it's no surprise that when the history of pornography is talked about, home
video is talked about as a revolutionary force in the consumption of dirty
movies. Suddenly regular citizens could enjoy erotic entertainment without
having to sully themselves in a grindhouse with a crowd. Of course, it's not
really that simple. As 42nd Street Pete points out on Busty Bombshells of the
Atomic Age, as far back as the 1950s it was possible for a discerning
gentleman or lady to join a "movie of the month" club. Once joined,
the prospective perv could expect at least fifty feet of 8mm film in the mail
each month, filled with busty ladies in various states of undress.

Busty Bombshells of the Atomic Age is a collection of such
"loops" or "stag reels" from the 1950s and 1960s. They're
almost exclusively in black-and-white, they each last around three minutes. They
all feature "natural" women, usually in panties, stockings, and
garters engaging in some kind of mundane activity like sitting down, hair
brushing, or simply turning for the camera. There are some completely nude
women, but for the most part shots of nudity below the waist are few and far
between.

This collection of loops, called Busty Bombshells of the Atomic Age
because of their date and the kind of women featured, is pretty tame even by
stag standards. There's no hint of the bondage kink of Betty Page, nor is there
the naturalist, documentary "nudie cutie" feel, either. These really
are just reels that contain footage of topless women, with no muss and no
fuss.

On the plus side, this collection is an archival dream. I'm not a scholar of
1950s stag films, but I'm happy to know that someone out there is preserving
them and making them available to consumers. Considering the drastic changes
that pornography has undergone in just the decades since Deep Throat,
it's nice to have a reminder that the erotic wasn't always about hardcore shots
of sex and degrading men and women. It's also nice that the loops run in
sequence, so viewers can put the DVD in and get over two straight hours of stag.
The presentation of this DVD is meticulous, with lovely liner notes that set up
the era's porn, including descriptions of each reel and some screen shots.

On the negative side, this release is probably not for general viewership.
I'm guessing most people won't find half-naked women in black-and-white terribly
arousing, and with the ubiquity of Internet pornography, this is probably not
the first thing people looking for arousal will go for. The set itself is also a
little awkwardly put together. Each reel is separated by a title card announcing
Busty Bombshells of the Atomic Age over some A-bomb test footage. After
the third or fourth time it got really annoying, and it would make it hard to
sit through this entire DVD. Also, 42nd Street Pete's persona is also pretty
darn odd. He's not quite used-car-salesman-sleazy, but he also doesn't come off
as cleanly as someone like Joe Bob Briggs.

The DVD itself is about as good as anyone could expect for a bunch of
obscure stag loops. The source reels are in pretty decent shape. There are some
scratches, flickers, and dust, but the transfer looks surprisingly good
considering the vintage of these shorts. The sound, such as it is, is a simple
stereo mix of primarily sound effects. There aren't any bonuses aside from a
"trailer vault" for a number of Secret Key releases and the
aforementioned booklet.

Busty Bombshells of the Atomic Age is a niche release that does an
excellent job preserving a generally forgotten bit of American pop culture. This
probably isn't a must-own release outside of the hardcore stag-lovers groups.
There are no loops featuring the really big names like Bettie Page, so this
isn't the first loop collection the curious should start with. However, those
who've made their way through some of the more famous collections and want a
wider taste of what was available should give this disc a look.